Translations of Rig Veda Suktas 33-121 by M.P. Pandit

HYMN 33

Rishi: HIRANYASTUPA ANGIRASA Deity: INDRA

1. Come hither, ye, who aspire for the Kine; let us reach Indra who increases our needed thought. Invincible, he bestows on us plentifully the supreme knowledge of this Cow-wealth.

This supreme knowledge is indispensable to obtain our wealth of Cow-Rays of Truth which are stolen and stored in the mountain-cave of Darkness by the Panis, dealers in falsehood, the host of Vritra. Of that knowledge, O comrades, Indra is the giver.

2. Like the falcon soaring to its cherished nest, I dart to Indra, the unassailable bestower of wealth, bowing with choice hymns of praise – Indra who is invoked for the weal of the voyager.

3. Along with all his armies, he has fastened the quiver; masterly he secures the Cow-wealth to him whom he favours. Increased in us, Indra, be not a Pani in giving thy plentiful wealth of delight.

Having increased in us, engaged in the inner sacrifice, it is meet that thou be generous - and not a Pani.

4. Supreme, with heroes alongside, thou hast, Indra, struck down the wealthy robber Vritra with thy thunderbolt. The ungiving foes, Sanakas, came from all sides to thy bow and met their end.

Sanakas are followers of Vritra.

Vritra’s wealth: The Brahmanas state that all the Gods, all deities, all oblations, were held in by Vritra. Vritra’s body of Darkness enveloped everything, imprisoning and covering all wealth of knowledge, strength; with his destruction, all the concealed and almost lost wealth of light and strength gets released and blossoms.

5. O Indra with tawny horses, firm of poise, heroic, when thou didst scatter the riteless from the mid-region and the firmaments, then did the opposers of sacrifice, contesting with the sacrificers, turn their head away and run.

6. As they (enemies) sought to fight with blameless Indra, the Navagwa men prodded him; dispersed by him they fled by steep paths from Indra, showing their weakness like emasculates before the potent hero.

It is well known in the Veda that the Navagwas and Dashagwas are the Angirasas, ancient fathers who aiding Indra in conquering Vritra, breaking up his darkness, obtained the Cows. The Navagwas are those with nine Ray-Cows, the Dashagwas with ten.

7. O Indra, thou hast fought them out, in tears and laughter, beyond the horizon. From the high heavens thou hast burnt down the Dasyu (Vritra); thou hast superbly protected the sacrificers pouring Soma and lauding thee with hymns.

Vritra had occupied even the high heavens; he was brought down from there. Having destroyed Vritra and his host, Indra afforded protection to the Soma-sacrificers.

8. Engirting the earth, shining gold-jewelled, hastening (to fight), they could not overcome Indra. Indra compassed with the sun the spies of Vritra.

The spies, shining bright, had enveloped the earth with darkness. Indra covered the coverers.

9. O Indra, possessing the earth and heaven all round with thy vastness, thou hast scattered the disregarding by those who regard thee; O Indra, by the speakers of the word, thou hast cast out the Dasyu.

10. Stalled by Vritra, from heaven they (waters) did not reach the ends of earth. Under his spell, they could not attain to the Bounteous (Indra). Indra, the bull, used his weapon and with his Light milked the Cows from out of the Darkness.

They could not reach the earth as they were obstructed by Vritra; nor could they attain to Indra owing to the cunningnesses of Vritra. Indra rescues them, obtains the Cows and milks them.

11. The waters flowed in accord with Indra. Though fallen amidst the navigable waters, Vritra waxed mighty. Watching for a while, Indra with his powerful thunderbolt smote Vritra whose thoughts were turned towards him.

Though the waters were so deep, it was easy for Vritra to rise again.

12. Indra stormed the unassailable dwellings of Ilibisha; he pounded Shushna, horn-armed. Wealthy Indra, thou slewest battle-eager Vritra, the foe, with thy bolt, with all thy swiftness, all thy might.

Ilibisha: the Asura who could assume any form of his choice. Shushna: the Asura who sucks up the sap.

13. His weapon fell upon his adversaries; with his sharp powerful bolt, he rent the cities of the enemy; he reached Vritra with his weapon. So slaying him, he achieved all his purpose.

14. O Indra, thou hast protected Kutsa, the object of thy love; thou hast protected Dashadyu, the preeminent, in battle. The dust of thy coursers reaches the heaven. Son of Svitri (immersed in waters) stood up to be upborne by strong men.

Celebrated names like Kutsa, Kakshivan, Shunashepa, stand for certain established achievements and victories in the path of inner sacrifice e.g. as release from triple bondage is typical of Shunashepa or like Sri Krishna’s friendship with Arjuna is akin to Indra’s with Kutsa.

Kutsa is one who looks down upon those who hate the Gods or are their enemies.

Dashadyu is possibly a Rishi whose light spread in ten directions.

Svaitreya - son of Svitri who perhaps typifies lack-lustre, sickly, Nature - plunged in chores of livelihood prior to his attainment of knowledge, strength etc. was rescued and became fearless by the grace of Indra.

15. O maghavan, thou hast protected the son of Svitra who in conquering the field of earth remained serene even amidst impelling currents, a hero, a shaft of Light. In this for long did thy foes foster enmity; thou hast inflicted sharp pains on these hostile minds.

The mystic import of certain special terms in the Rig Veda.

Adri: Mountain, hill, plateau, signify to the mystics engaged in the inner sacrifice, the universe (with its three worlds) rising from the bowels of the earth to the peaks of the skies as also the individual consisting of the physical, vital and mental formations. This high mountain has many plateaus which the Rishis scale step by step.

Aditi : The infinite Nature, unslayable Cow, mother of Indra and other Gods and radiances.

Diti: Divided Nature (Prakriti); her progeny is the Dasyus, Danavas, Vritra and his legion - sons of Darkness.

The Jyoti, Light, (Truth, Right) is above, the eternal Day. Tamas, Darkness (Falsehood) below is the Night. Between these Light and Darkness – lies the triple world. Even as the Adityas, sons of Light, the Gods, dwell above, the Daityas, sons of Darkness, live at the bottom of the Hill. The cave or hole at the base of the Hill is only the residence of the Danavas, Vritras etc. Their activities extend to all the three worlds. That is why there is the constant battle between the Gods and the Daityas.

Go: Cows are rays of consciousness, portions of the vast Aditi, hence they belong to the Adityas.

Apah: Waters are the currents of the power of consciousness; hey become the seven rivers. The figures seven corresponds to the sevenfold principle of cosmic existence. Hence these active powers of consciousness flow in all the seven worlds.

Ocean: Symbolising the infinite, boundless, immortal existence, is above; it is the Sat-Chit-Ananda of the Vedantins. There is another ocean below, inert, the Inconscient. This is spoken of as apraketam salilam, the inconscient waters, by Parameshthin. From the inconscient base rises (or is created) the Hill of the three worlds. The Aryan who exerts himself attains to the active Consciousness - the Waters - the rays of Consciousness, the Cows, the sap of delight of Consciousness, the Soma, and proceeds to work to attain the Truth, the supreme Light, the Immortality. This effort can be fruitful only with the aid of the Gods. Extracting the essence of all his experience-the Soma – he purifies and offers it to the Gods. The King-Hero of the Gods, strengthened by it, achieves what is desired for the sacrifice.

The celestial flowing Waters are held by Vritra, the Cows are stolen by the Panis and are imprisoned in the nether cave by their leader. They are to be released. These rivers flowing from the supreme Ocean celestial, not of earth; they are obstructed by Vritra who covers them. Indra kills with his thunderbolt the Asura who obstructs their reaching the earth and the Waters are released. He makes an opening on the top of the Hill and the Waters flow through. Many are the hymns which speak of this release of Waters following the slaying of Vritra. We must note that though the symbolism of the Hill or mountain is clear, still in the Veda the mountain also signifies the cloud which conceals the Waters.

Cow: The Dasyus are theives, the Panis are traffickers: Vala, their chief, surrounds the Cows. He dwells in the cave of the Hill. He conceals the flock of Cows in the cave of Darkness. Along with the Angirasas, Indra subdues him and frees the Cows. How does he effect this? To reach the lost treasures of Cows, the sacrifice of the Yajamana is the means. The Angirasas, divine Rishis - originally human, they have attained divinity - utter the hymns and aid Indra. Indra gathers strength by the draught of Soma. Entering the cave, breaking open the cellar of the Hill, he releases the Cows and drives them upward. Here it is Sarama, the celestial Hound with intuitive vision that reaches and beholds the pen of the Cows and shows it to Indra and his cohorts. The recovery of the Cows follows.

This is the constant work of Indra in which he is supreme. Though he has originally achieved and established for the benefit of mankind this victory of recovery of Cows with the help of the ancient Angirasa Rishis, even today this King of the Gods of the three worlds, engaged in ceaseless search of the Cow-treasure, repeats his feat for the benefit of men.

An examination of certain baffling Riks.

Hymn 32:

Rik 1. Describes the heroic exploit of Indra in slaying Vritra and releasing the Waters.

Rik 2. When Vritra is struck down with the celestial thunderbolt of Indra, the Waters flow down from above sraight to the ocean of the Inconscient below; fostered by these conscient nourishing waters, the Yajamana is rendered anew, fruitful. The rivers of earth, the waters and rain-waters wind their way to the ocean; their course is not straight or downward.

Rik 3. Strong with the drink of Soma poured in these vessels of the body, life and mind, Indra slew Vritra.

Rik 4. Following the elimination of Vritra, Indra struck down his followers and raises the Dawn, the Day, the Sun - the results of the slaying of Vritra. The sun rises from the ocean of the Inconscient; so too the Dawn and the Day. The Sun is the highest Truth-Light.

Rik 7. Though the serpent is naturally without hands or feet, it is permissible to take ’shorn of arms’ as broken all over.

Rik-8. With the fall of Vritra, embodiment of Tamas, the Waters released from his constrictions go beyond him and ascend the regions of the mind; they do not flow crookedly. Covered so long by darkest darkness, imprisoned in the hill, they now go beyond the physical and vital regions to the mental and flow to make it fruitful.

Rik 9. Danu is mother of Vritra, Diti. Diti, embodying division, mother of Vritra and other Asuras, is the very opposite of Aditi the infinite, mother of Indra and other Gods. As Vritra was being struck, his mother stood with her arms outspread to avert the blows of the thunder-weapon. With his mother above him, Vritra below met his end. The root of all division in existences, division embodied, mother of Vritra, the Lower Nature, was struck above while her son, the concretised figure of Darkness, below, became senseless. This points to the endless, impenetrable, invisible nature of Tamas, and the visibility of her who enwombs it - the Inconscient Darkness.

Rik 10. This Vritra in deathlike long sleep became immobile, his body concealed in the waters.

Rik 14. Thus Indra had a fear that Vritra might come up again from some hidden place, though in fact he had been slain. Vritra who was under was not seen, only his mother, asleep and immobile, was seen.

Hymn 33:

Rik 6. The Angirasas enthused Indra with their mantrapowers. Though Vritia was struck down and had disappeared, had lain in long sleep, his followers had not retired from the battle. It is to be noted that though the Darkness is turned out, its tail lasts for a while. As the other Asuras are being killed, Indra’s protection is afforded to exemplars like Kutsa and others.